Anomalies In Europe Research Articles

Seasonal evolution of the dominant modes of the Eurasian snowpack and atmospheric circulation from autumn to the subsequent spring and the associated surface heat budget

AbstractThis study investigates the seasonal evolution of the dominant modes of the Eurasian snowpack and atmospheric circulation from autumn to the subsequent spring using snow water equivalent (SWE), snow cover frequency (SCF), and 500 hPa geopotential height data. It is found that the Eurasian SWE/SCF and circulation dominant modes are stably coupled from autumn to the subsequent spring. The temporal coherence of the seasonal evolution of the dominant modes is examined. The seasonal evolution of the Eurasian circulation and SWE dominant modes exhibit good coherence, whereas the evolution of the Eurasian SCF dominant mode is incoherent during the autumn–winter transition season. This incoherence is associated with a sign-change in the SCF anomalies in Europe during the autumn–winter transition season, which is related to the wind anomalies over Europe. In addition, the surface heat budget associated with the Eurasian SWE/SCF and circulation dominant modes is analyzed. The sensible heat flux (SHF) relate...

Asymmetry in the response of central Eurasian winter temperature to AMO

The asymmetry in the teleconnection of the central Eurasian winter surface air temperature (SAT) with the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) is discussed using observations and model simulations. Observations indicate that the winter SAT over central Eurasia (30°–70°E, 30°–50°N) shows significant positive anomalies during the warm AMO period but weak and insignificant anomalies in the cold AMO period. In general, the warm winters in central Eurasia are associated with large-scale negative sea level pressure anomalies in Europe, anomalous southwesterly winds at 850 hPa over Europe, the “+ − +” geopotential height anomalies at 500 hPa in the south of Greenland, northern Europe, western Asia, and the slant north–south “+ −” pattern jet stream anomalies at 200 hPa in the north and south of the Caspian Sea. Reverse patterns occur during cold winters. These statistically significant features are observed in the warm phase of AMO. Reversed circulation anomalies are observed during the cold phase of AMO; however, these anomalies are weak and not statistically significant. Furthermore, the asymmetry in the atmospheric response to AMO is well supported by simulations with a suite of GFDL atmospheric model idealized experiments and four CMIP5 models historical experiments. Both observations and simulations indicate that Rossby waves propagating from the North Atlantic eastward to Eurasia emerge in the warm AMO and disappear in the cold AMO. Thus, the different propagations of Rossby waves, induced by the different surface thermal conditions of the warm and cold AMO, are the potential connection between the North Atlantic Ocean and central Eurasian climate, and may explain the asymmetry.

The accrual anomaly in Europe: The role of accounting distortions

Numerous studies claim that the accrual anomaly in the U.S. stock market is due mostly to temporary accounting distortions arising from accrual accounting. We examine the validity of this explanation in an international setting. Across the 15 developed European equity markets we examine, accounting distortions contribute to the negative relation between accruals and future earnings performance in 14 equity markets. Further, we show that the negative relation between accruals and stock returns could be at least attributable to accounting distortions. In particular, accruals related to accounting distortions predict returns in 7 out of the 9 markets where the accrual anomaly occurs in Europe. Finally, we show that the impact of accounting distortions on the pricing of the accrual component of earnings is stronger in markets with a higher level of trust and a lower level of secrecy.

Representation of global precipitation anomalies using four major climate patterns

This study aims at finding the dominant climate patterns that influence the precipitation anomalies for different regions over the world. To this end, a multiple linear regression model is employed to represent the impact of four major climate patterns (El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Antarctic Oscillation (AAO)) on the global precipitation anomalies. The normalized climate pattern indexes and normalized precipitation anomalies are used in the regression model. For the Northern Hemisphere, the three predictors used are the normalized NINO3.4 index (representing ENSO), normalized DMI (representing IOD) and normalized AO index; for the Southern Hemisphere, also three indexes are used as three predictors, and the normalized AO index is replaced by the normalized AAO index. The influences brought by each climate pattern can be represented by the magnitude of the corresponding regression coefficients, and the dominant climate patterns are those with the largest magnitude. The study results show that the precipitation anomalies in the northern part of South America and the northwestern part of Southeast Asia are mainly influenced by ENSO. The precipitation anomalies in East Africa and the southwestern part of Southeast Asia are mainly influenced by IOD. The precipitation anomalies in Europe and west coast of North America are mainly influenced by AO; the precipitation anomalies in the eastern part and southern part of South America, southern part of Africa, and the northeastern Australia are mainly influenced by AAO. These findings are consistent with the general understanding on the teleconnection features of the four climate patterns. Further, the regression model can be used for predicting precipitation anomalies through use of these major climate patterns.

Detection and investigation of temporal clusters of congenital anomaly in Europe: seven years of experience of the EUROCAT surveillance system.

Detection and investigation of congenital anomaly clusters is one part of surveillance to detect new or changing teratogenic exposures in the population. The EUROCAT (European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies) cluster monitoring system and results are described here. Monitoring was conducted annually from 2007 to 2013 for 18 registries covering an annual birth population up to 0.5 million births. For each registry and 72 anomaly subgroups, the scan “moving window” technique was used to detect clusters in time occurring within the last 2 years based on estimated date of conception. Registries conducted preliminary investigations using a standardised protocol to determine whether there was cause for concern, and expert review was used at key points. 165 clusters were detected, a rate of 3.4 % of all 4823 cluster tests performed over 7 years, more than expected by chance. Preliminary investigations of 126 new clusters confirmed that 35 % were an unusual aggregation of cases, while 56 % were explained by data quality or diagnostic issues, and 9 % were not investigated. For confirmed clusters, the registries’ course of action was continuing monitoring. Three confirmed clusters continued to grow in size for a limited period in subsequent monitoring. This system is best suited to early detection of exposures which are sudden, widespread and/or highly teratogenic, and was reassuring in demonstrating an absence of a sustained exposure of this type. Such proactive monitoring can be run efficiently without overwhelming the surveillance system with false positives, and serves an additional purpose of data quality control.

Migrations as reason for the political anomalies in Europe

In this paper, author explores the reasons for modern massive migrations from the Middle East and Africa to Europe, and determines that main causes of migrations are: demographic explosion in some parts of the world, wars and possibility of social engineering. Based on content analysis of recent documentation, author establishes that on one hand there are unstoppable birth rates in Africa and in the Middle East, which are at the same time the poorest and the most turbulent areas of the world. At the same time, birth rates and population in Europe - the wealthiest and best governed continent, are in decline. Migrations are very encouraged by the fact that Africa, the Middle East and Europe share an extremely long continental and sea border. Most migrants come from the Middle East because wars are more important reason for migrations than demographic explosions, and in the Middle East there is still unfinished Arabian Spring, and, even worse, the number of wars and terrorist organizations in the same area is increasing. Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan are, practically, a single battlefield. Regarding artificial induction of the migrations, author asserts that it is a long known phenomenon. Today, it is a subversive method, mastered not only by the big, but also by many of the smaller military-intelligence systems, but its dimensions should not be overestimated. Paper also finds a number of political and other anomalies that have arisen in many EU countries. It analyzes late reaction of the EU institutions to challenges posed by migrations. Special attention is paid to those dimensions of the migrations that turn them into security challenge. Possible positive effects of the migrations are also analyzed. Paper focuses on relation of migrations and national interest of Serbia. Author determines that migrations are, to some extent, security challenge for Serbia, not only in terms of increased danger of terrorism, but also because of possible outbreak of regional conflicts. Also, Serbia, due to its relative economic underdevelopment and high unemployment does not have economic or, in general, national interest in keeping a certain number of migrants on its soil. In the authors opinion, the irregular migrations from the Middle East and Africa to Europe will continue in the distant future.

Epidemiology of multiple congenital anomalies in Europe: a EUROCAT population-based registry study.

This study describes the prevalence, associated anomalies, and demographic characteristics of cases of multiple congenital anomalies (MCA) in 19 population-based European registries (EUROCAT) covering 959,446 births in 2004 and 2010. EUROCAT implemented a computer algorithm for classification of congenital anomaly cases followed by manual review of potential MCA cases by geneticists. MCA cases are defined as cases with two or more major anomalies of different organ systems, excluding sequences, chromosomal and monogenic syndromes. The combination of an epidemiological and clinical approach for classification of cases has improved the quality and accuracy of the MCA data. Total prevalence of MCA cases was 15.8 per 10,000 births. Fetal deaths and termination of pregnancy were significantly more frequent in MCA cases compared with isolated cases (p < 0.001) and MCA cases were more frequently prenatally diagnosed (p < 0.001). Live born infants with MCA were more often born preterm (p < 0.01) and with birth weight < 2500 grams (p < 0.01). Respiratory and ear, face, and neck anomalies were the most likely to occur with other anomalies (34% and 32%) and congenital heart defects and limb anomalies were the least likely to occur with other anomalies (13%) (p < 0.01). However, due to their high prevalence, congenital heart defects were present in half of all MCA cases. Among males with MCA, the frequency of genital anomalies was significantly greater than the frequency of genital anomalies among females with MCA (p < 0.001). Although rare, MCA cases are an important public health issue, because of their severity. The EUROCAT database of MCA cases will allow future investigation on the epidemiology of these conditions and related clinical and diagnostic problems.

Seasonality of congenital anomalies in Europe

BackgroundThis study describes seasonality of congenital anomalies in Europe to provide a baseline against which to assess the impact of specific time varying exposures such as the H1N1 pandemic influenza, and to provide a comprehensive and recent picture of seasonality and its possible relation to etiologic factors. Methods: Data on births conceived in 2000 to 2008 were extracted from 20 European Surveillance for Congenital Anomalies population‐based congenital anomaly registries in 14 European countries. We performed Poisson regression analysis encompassing sine and cosine terms to investigate seasonality of 65,764 nonchromosomal and 12,682 chromosomal congenital anomalies covering 3.3 million births. Analysis was performed by estimated month of conception. Analyses were performed for 86 congenital anomaly subgroups, including a combined subgroup of congenital anomalies previously associated with influenza. Results: We detected statistically significant seasonality in prevalence of anomalies previously associated with influenza, but the conception peak was in June (2.4% excess). We also detected seasonality in congenital cataract (April conceptions, 27%), hip dislocation and/or dysplasia (April, 12%), congenital hydronephrosis (July, 12%), urinary defects (July, 5%), and situs inversus (December, 36%), but not for nonchromosomal anomalies combined, chromosomal anomalies combined, or other anomalies analyzed. Conclusion: We have confirmed previously described seasonality for congenital cataract and hip dislocation and/or dysplasia, and found seasonality for congenital hydronephrosis and situs inversus which have not previously been studied. We did not find evidence of seasonality for several anomalies which had previously been found to be seasonal. Influenza does not appear to be an important factor in the seasonality of congenital anomalies. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:260–269, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Accounting Accruals and Stock Returns: Evidence from European Equity Markets

In this paper, I show a generalisation of the negative relation of traditional accruals and percent accruals with future returns in 11 of 16 European countries. Positive abnormal returns from hedge portfolios on both accrual measures summarise the economic significance of this generalisation. The magnitude of returns obtained from traditional accruals is higher than that obtained from percent accruals, contrary to existing evidence from the U.S. capital market. The magnitude of the accrual effect on stock returns based on both accrual measures is stronger in countries with higher individualism, lower uncertainty avoidance, higher equity-market development, higher equity-market liquidity, lower transaction costs, higher analyst coverage, lower analyst optimism, and lower ownership concentration. In markets where minorities have legal protection against expropriation by corporate insiders and where accrual accounting is permitted, the accrual effect based only on percent accruals is positive. Earnings opacity does not appear to exhibit a significant influence. Overall, the evidence suggests that cross-country differences in culture, equity-market setting, analysts' research output, investor protection, and ownership structure play an important role in explaining variation on the magnitude of the accrual anomaly in Europe.

Quantifying the Strength and Delay of Climatic Interactions: The Ambiguities of Cross Correlation and a Novel Measure Based on Graphical Models

Abstract Lagged cross-correlation and regression analysis are commonly used to gain insights into interaction mechanisms between climatological processes, in particular to assess time delays and to quantify the strength of a mechanism. Exemplified on temperature anomalies in Europe and the tropical Pacific and Atlantic, the authors study lagged correlation and regressions analytically for a simple model system. A strong dependence on the influence of serial dependencies or autocorrelation is demonstrated, which can lead to misleading conclusions about time delays and also obscures a quantification of the interaction mechanism. To overcome these possible artifacts, the authors propose a two-step procedure based on the concept of graphical models recently introduced to climate research. In the first step, graphical models are used to detect the existence of (Granger) causal interactions that determine the time delays of a mechanism. In the second step, a certain partial correlation and a regression measure are introduced that allow one to specifically quantify the strength of an interaction mechanism in a well interpretable way that enables the exclusion of misleading effects of serial correlation as well as more general dependencies. The potential of the approach to quantify interactions between two and more processes is demonstrated by investigating teleconnections of ENSO and the mechanism of the Walker circulation. The article is intended to serve as a guideline to interpret lagged correlations and regressions in the presence of autocorrelation and introduces a powerful approach to analyze time delays and the strength of an interaction mechanism.

Population Based Nationwide Study of Hypospadias in Sweden, 1973 to 2009: Incidence and Risk Factors

We studied the incidence of hypospadias in Sweden during a 40-year period to determine if changes were associated with known risk factors. We analyzed prospective data from nationwide health care and demographic registers collected for all males (1,948,591 total) born in Sweden between 1973 and 2009. The incidence of hypospadias per 1,000 live-born boys was calculated as number of cases divided by total number of births yearly. The association between hypospadias and risk factors was estimated using logistic regression, expressed as odds ratios. The nationwide incidence of boys diagnosed with hypospadias was approximately 4.5 per 1,000 live-born boys until 1990, increasing to 8 per 1,000 boys during the following decade. Mild and severe phenotypes comprised the increase. Boys born small for gestational age (OR 4.34), as a twin (OR 1.8), as a result of in vitro fertilization (OR 1.15), or with parents from Asia (OR 1.45) or continental Europe (OR 1.41) were at increased risk for hypospadias. Multivariate analyses revealed that changes in risk factors did not explain the increased incidence. However, a systematic change in the classification of the diagnosis in registers could not be ruled out. This nationwide study demonstrates an increased incidence of hypospadias diagnoses in Sweden from 1990 to 1999 that is not attributable to previously known risk factors. The increase includes mild and severe phenotypes, suggesting that shifts in the diagnostic criteria are not the underlying cause.

Interannual oscillations in winter rainfall over Europe. Iberia study case

Low -frequency variability is a good starting point for modelling the climate system and understanding mechanisms that can give us some indication of future climate evolution. this work aims to better understand the degree of association between the atmospheric circulation and precipitation over europe and the iberian Peninsula. to achieve this goal, the standard precipitation anomalies in europe and the anomalies of sea level pressure (sLP) in the north atlantic region during the twentieth century were subjected to Multi -Channel singular spectrum analysis (Mssa). this procedure allows us to measure the degree of association between the sLP and precipitation fields. the identification of common oscillations between the two climatic fields led not only to the confirmation of the physical meaning of these oscillations, but also to the identification of the dynamical evolution of the ocean -atmosphere system in the north atlantic. two oscillations, statistically significant, common to both the precipitation field and sLP field were isolated with periods of about 8 years and 5.3 years. the 8 -year oscillation is the most significant and robust of the two climatic fields and exhibits a classic naO pattern, with an out -of -phase variability between northern and southern parts of the domain. furthermore, it is characterized by a westward propagation of the climate signal and a perfect out -of -phase variability between the precipitation and sLP. the 8 -year oscillation is also very significant in the iberian Peninsula and is associated with dry winters and wet winters, whose sequence was identified for the twentieth century. the 5.3 -year oscillation is related to the east atlantic Pattern that exhibits another dipolar structure, with an out -of -phase variability between southwest and northwest europe. the regularity of the 8 year oscillation can be anticipated with a degree of certainty, thus permitting a prediction of the occurrence of wet and dry years and allowing for a better management of water resources.

250 Seasonality of Congenital Anomalies in Europe

Investigation of seasonal patterns of congenital anomalies (CAs) can help identify environmental risk factors. Smaller datasets and spatiotemporal variation in previous studies have lead to conflicting evidence. The aim of...

Reconstruction of late Glacial and Early Holocene near surface temperature anomalies in Europe and their statistical interpretation

This paper presents the results of a variational analysis study based on the recently developed method by Gebhardt et al. to reconstruct paleo temperature fields on the typical scale of climate model output, providing the necessary basis for quantitative comparison of reconstructions and model results. Additionally, an extension of the approach takes into account the full statistics of the analysis error of the variational analysis to study the inherent uncertainties of the proxy data representing the imperfect paleo climate information and their impact on the field reconstruction. The method is applied to reconstruct realizations of monthly mean temperature anomaly fields in Europe for January and July in Europe as averages for several time slices in the Late Glacial and Holocene. Single realizations can differ substantially from the field of expectation values in terms of spatial patterns due to the inherent correlation of the spatial uncertainties of the paleo proxy data. Additionally, the fields of expectation values generally are much smoother than the realizations. This indicates that it is misleading to only consider expectation values. Further, the ensembles of realization are used to calculate robust error measures for area mean values, which is valuable for the quantitative comparison of the results of different time slices.

The medieval climate anomaly in Europe: Comparison of the summer and annual mean signals in two reconstructions and in simulations with data assimilation

The spatial pattern and potential dynamical origin of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, around 1000AD) in Europe are assessed with two recent reconstructions and simulations constrained to follow those reconstructions by means of paleoclimate data assimilation. The simulations employ a climate model of intermediate complexity (LOVECLIM). The data assimilation technique is based on a particle filter using an ensemble of 96 simulations. The peak winter (and annual mean) warming during the MCA, in our analyses, is found to be strongest at high latitudes, associated with strengthened mid-latitude westerlies. Summer warmth, by contrast, is found to be greatest in southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, associated with reduced westerlies and strengthened southerly winds off North Africa. The results of our analysis thus underscore the complexity of the spatial and seasonal structure of the MCA in Europe.

Paper 4: EUROCAT statistical monitoring: Identification and investigation of ten year trends of congenital anomalies in Europe

As part of EUROCAT's surveillance of congenital anomalies in Europe, a statistical monitoring system has been developed to detect recent clusters or long-term (10 year) time trends. The purpose of this article is to describe the system for the identification and investigation of 10-year time trends, conceived as a "screening" tool ultimately leading to the identification of trends which may be due to changing teratogenic factors. The EUROCAT database consists of all cases of congenital anomalies including livebirths, fetal deaths from 20 weeks gestational age, and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly. Monitoring of 10-year trends is performed for each registry for each of 96 non-independent EUROCAT congenital anomaly subgroups, while Pan-Europe analysis combines data from all registries. The monitoring results are reviewed, prioritized according to a prioritization strategy, and communicated to registries for investigation. Twenty-one registries covering over 4 million births, from 1999 to 2008, were included in monitoring in 2010. Significant increasing trends were detected for abdominal wall anomalies, gastroschisis, hypospadias, Trisomy 18 and renal dysplasia in the Pan-Europe analysis while 68 increasing trends were identified in individual registries. A decreasing trend was detected in over one-third of anomaly subgroups in the Pan-Europe analysis, and 16.9% of individual registry tests. Registry preliminary investigations indicated that many trends are due to changes in data quality, ascertainment, screening, or diagnostic methods. Some trends are inevitably chance phenomena related to multiple testing, while others seem to represent real and continuing change needing further investigation and response by regional/national public health authorities.

Paper 2: EUROCAT public health indicators for congenital anomalies in Europe

AbstractOBJECTIVEThe purpose of this article is to present the specific public health indicators recently developed by EUROCAT that aim to summarize important aspects of the public health impact of congenital anomalies in a few quantitative measures.METHODSThe six indicators are: (1) congenital anomaly perinatal mortality, (2) congenital anomaly prenatal diagnosis prevalence, (3) congenital anomaly termination of pregnancy, (4) Down syndrome livebirth prevalence, (5) congenital anomaly pediatric surgery, and (6) neural tube defects (NTD) total prevalence. Data presented for this report pertained to all cases (livebirths, fetal deaths, or stillbirths after 20 weeks of gestation and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly [TOPFA]) of congenital anomaly from 27 full member registries of EUROCAT that could provide data for at least 3 years during the period 2004 to 2008. Prevalence of anomalies, prenatal diagnosis, TOPFA, pediatric surgery, and perinatal mortality were calculated per 1000 births.RESULTSThe overall perinatal mortality was approximately 1.0 per 1000 births for EUROCAT registries with almost half due to fetal and the other half due to first week deaths. There were wide variations in perinatal mortality across the registries with the highest rates observed in Dublin and Malta, registries in countries where TOPFA are illegal, and in Ukraine. The overall perinatal mortality across EUROCAT registries slightly decreased between 2004 and 2008 due to a decrease in first week deaths. The prevalence of TOPFA was fairly stable at about 4 per 1000 births. There were variations in livebirth prevalence of cases typically requiring surgery across the registries; however, for most registries this prevalence was between 3 and 5 per 1000 births. Prevalence of NTD decreased by about 10% from 1.05 in 2004 to 0.94 per 1000 in 2008.CONCLUSIONIt is hoped that by publishing the data on EUROCAT indicators, the public health importance of congenital anomalies can be clearly summarized to policy makers, the need for accurate data from registries emphasized, the need for primary prevention and treatment services highlighted, and the impact of current services measured. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2011.© 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Paper 6: EUROCAT member registries: Organization and activities

AbstractBACKGROUNDEUROCAT is a network of population‐based congenital anomaly registries providing standardized epidemiologic information on congenital anomalies in Europe. There are three types of EUROCAT membership: full, associate, or affiliate. Full member registries send individual records of all congenital anomalies covered by their region. Associate members transmit aggregate case counts for each EUROCAT anomaly subgroup by year and by type of birth. This article describes the organization and activities of each of the current 29 full member and 6 associate member registries of EUROCAT.METHODSEach registry description provides information on the history and funding of the registry, population coverage including any changes in coverage over time, sources for ascertaining cases of congenital anomalies, and upper age limit for registering cases of congenital anomalies. It also details the legal requirements relating to termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies, the definition of stillbirths and fetal deaths, and the prenatal screening policy within the registry. Information on availability of exposure information and denominators is provided. The registry description describes how each registry conforms to the laws and guidelines regarding ethics, consent, and confidentiality issues within their own jurisdiction. Finally, information on electronic and web‐based data capture, recent registry activities, and publications relating to congenital anomalies, along with the contact details of the registry leader, are provided.CONCLUSIONSThe registry description gives a detailed account of the organizational and operational aspects of each registry and is an invaluable resource that aids interpretation and evaluation of registry prevalence data. Birth Defects Research (Part A) , 2011.© 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Paper 3: EUROCAT data quality indicators for population‐based registries of congenital anomalies†

The European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) network of population-based congenital anomaly registries is an important source of epidemiologic information on congenital anomalies in Europe covering live births, fetal deaths from 20 weeks gestation, and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly. EUROCAT's policy is to strive for high-quality data, while ensuring consistency and transparency across all member registries. A set of 30 data quality indicators (DQIs) was developed to assess five key elements of data quality: completeness of case ascertainment, accuracy of diagnosis, completeness of information on EUROCAT variables, timeliness of data transmission, and availability of population denominator information. This article describes each of the individual DQIs and presents the output for each registry as well as the EUROCAT (unweighted) average, for 29 full member registries for 2004-2008. This information is also available on the EUROCAT website for previous years. The EUROCAT DQIs allow registries to evaluate their performance in relation to other registries and allows appropriate interpretations to be made of the data collected. The DQIs provide direction for improving data collection and ascertainment, and they allow annual assessment for monitoring continuous improvement. The DQI are constantly reviewed and refined to best document registry procedures and processes regarding data collection, to ensure appropriateness of DQI, and to ensure transparency so that the data collected can make a substantial and useful contribution to epidemiologic research on congenital anomalies.

The Performance of Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Funds

<h3>Objectives</h3> To describe the epidemiology and geographical differences in prevalence of congenital cerebral anomalies in Europe. <h3>Design and setting</h3> Congenital cerebral anomalies (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code Q04) recorded in 29 population-based EUROCAT registries conducting surveillance of 1.7 million births per annum (29% of all European births). <h3>Participants</h3> All birth outcomes (live births, fetal deaths from 20 weeks gestation and terminations of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis of a fetal anomaly (TOPFA)) from 2005 to 2014. <h3>Main outcome measures</h3> Prevalence, proportion of associated non-cerebral anomalies, prenatal detection rate. <h3>Results</h3> 4927 cases with congenital cerebral anomalies were identified; a prevalence (adjusted for under-reporting) of 9.8 (95% CI: 8.5 to 11.2) per 10 000 births. There was a sixfold difference in prevalence across the registries. Registries with higher proportions of prenatal diagnoses had higher prevalence. Overall, 55% of all cases were liveborn, 3% were fetal deaths and 41% resulted in TOPFA. Forty-eight per cent of all cases were an isolated cerebral anomaly, 25% had associated non-cerebral anomalies and 27% were chromosomal or part of a syndrome (genetic or teratogenic). The prevalence excluding genetic or chromosomal conditions increased by 2.4% per annum (95% CI: 1.3% to 3.5%), with the increases occurring only for congenital malformations of the corpus callosum (3.0% per annum) and ‘other reduction deformities of the brain’ (2.8% per annum). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Only half of the cases were isolated cerebral anomalies. Improved prenatal and postnatal diagnosis may account for the increase in prevalence of congenital cerebral anomalies from 2005 to 2014. However, major differences in prevalence remain between regions.